Teams around the Commonwealth found out where they stand after the first month of the season when the MIAA released its first power rankings of the fall season on Friday.
As a reminder, the top 32 teams in each division secure a spot in the state tournament at the conclusion of the regular season. Teams not ranked in the top 32 but with a .500 or better record will also earn a spot in the dance. Football is the only sport that is different, as the top 16 teams in each division make the playoffs, with the .500 record not applying on the gridiron (teams do need to win at least three games to be considered, however).
Records listed below are based on what the MIAA used for the initial batch of rankings.
If the season were to end today, one Recorder area football team would be competing in the postseason. That team is Frontier, as the Redhawks (2-1) are ranked No. 16 in the Div. 8 field. Franklin Tech (2-1) is on the cusp and ranked No. 18 while Mahar (2-1) and Athol (2-1) come in at Nos. 20 and 22, respectively. Greenfield (1-2) is ranked No. 41.
The Frontier boys soccer team has raced out to a 7-1 record on the season which has it ranked No. 3 in Div. 4. In the Div. 5 field a trio of Recorder area schools are ranked in the top 10, Mahar (4-1) coming in at No. 2, Athol (7-1) at No. 4 and Turners (2-1-1) at No. 7. Pioneer (4-3-1) is in the field at No. 17, as is Greenfield (4-4), which comes in at No. 24. Franklin Tech (3-5-1) is just on the outside looking in, ranked No. 34.
In the girls soccer rankings Frontier (3-4-1) comes in at No. 37 in the Div. 4 field. In the Div. 5 field Athol (6-0-1) is the lone Recorder area team currently in the top 32, ranked No. 30. Franklin Tech (5-2-1) comes in at No. 33, Mahar (1-5-1) is ranked No. 41, Pioneer (3-4) is ranked No. 47 while Greenfield (2-4) comes in at No. 53.
Frontier, the defending Div. 5 state volleyball champions, are now in Div. 4, but that hasn’t hurt the Redhawks (6-2) in the rankings as they come in as the top-ranked team in the field.
In Division 5, Turners (8-2) is the No. 4 ranked team. Mohawk Trail (No. 12, 6-3), Franklin Tech (No. 17, 6-4) and Athol (No. 23, 5-5) are all ranked inside the top 32 while Pioneer (No. 35, 3-6), Mahar (No. 37, 4-5) and Greenfield (No. 49, 1-7) are just outside the field.
Greenfield and Frontier are the lone Recorder area schools in the top 32 of the Div. 4 field hockey rankings, the Green Wave (5-1-1) coming in at No. 21 while the Redhawks (2-3-3) are ranked No. 26. Franklin Tech (8-0) comes in at No. 35 while Mahar (No. 46, 4-5), Turners (No. 47, 2-7) and Mohawk Trail (No. 50, 0-7) are on the outside looking in.